Islay Whisky
Ardbeg
Distillerie sur l'ile d'Islay depuis 1815.
Ten years old
 | Note du distilleur |
|---|---|
| Peat gives way to the malt, the natural sweetness of which subtly intrudes, producing perfect balance. | |
| Non chill-filtered. |
Infos
- Degré : 46%
- Note : Excellent. Très iodé. Plus salin et moins tourbé que le Ledaig. Mer & écume.
- Août 2017
Big Peat
Big Peat Nicolas Edition 2020
Islay blended malt scotch whisky.
 | Tasting Notes |
|---|---|
| The limited edition Big Peat bottle in your hand carries a big, sooty, beachy, oceanic, and seriously phenolic selection of malts distilled only on scotland's whisky island of Islay, from where the Douglas Laing family directors hail. | |
| Islay's distilleries are rnowned for their predominantly peaty, smoky character, all offering variations on the theme of ash, beach bonfires, coal dust and tar. Big Peat, our characterful ileach fisherman, encapsulates that feisty spirit of Islay in this very bottle. | |
| In true Douglas Laing and traditional style, “He” is bottled at high alcohol strength and is proudly offered without chill filtration, allowing the natural character of the big peated spirit to reign supreme. | |
| This is a dram that is particularly appreciated when consumed in a leisurely manner, the way in which these malts have waited for you in cold, dark and windswept warehouses of that magical, mystical island of Islay. |
Infos
- Degré : 46%
- Note : Fort & caractériel, une attaque profonde et épicé, très fortement tourbé. Une relâche rapide et un palais qui reste longuement parfumé. Noir et brumeux.
- Mai 2020
Bruichladdich
Distillerie sur l'ile d'Islay.
Provenance, authenticity, traceability. This is what we stand for.
Built in 1881 by the Harvey Brothers, Bruichladdich was radically avant-garde, conceptually brilliant and meticulously implemented. By glorious chance the peerless victorian equipment has survived almost intact, offering us a unique opportunity to create our artisanal, hand-crafted single malts.
If we are to make the best whisky we must start with the best ingredients. Our barley varieties are grown in Scotland. Always. This is no mere commodity, it is our lifeblood. Our farmers are our partners, not suppliers. They tell us about the soil, the drainage, the wind, the aspect, the micro-climate of every field.
We believe that Islay whisky should have an authenticity derived from where it is distilled and where it is matured, from the philosophies of those who distil it; a sense of place, of terroir, that speaks of the land, the barley and water from which it was made, and of the human soul that gave it life. Our aim is to create a product of flawless integrity and the most thought provoking whisky possible.
Excerpt from the Classic Laddie.
Port Charlotte : Heavily Peated single malt
 | Note du distilleur |
|---|---|
| Heavily peated yet elegant single malt, distilled in the tall narrow-necked stills at bruichladdich. | |
| It creates waves of peat smoke on the nose followed by tastes notes of vanilla, figs and soft plump dates. | |
| Testament that terroir matters, the spirit is crafted from 100% scottish barley and matured for its entire life on the shores of Loch Indaal. Bottled at the distillery using Islay spring water |
Infos
- Degré : 50.0%
- Note : Très tourbé. Un peu iodée. Quelques notes amers longues sur le palais. Cuireux. Fort.
- Décembre 2017 & Septembre 2018
Port Charlotte : Heavily Peated - 10 years old
Version “10 ans” du Heavily Peated.
 | Note du distilleur |
|---|---|
| We believe an “islay” whisky should live and breathe the fresh salt tang of Islay air, all its life. This is not a spirit distilled on the island and immediately shipped off to the mainland to mature in some undisclosed warehouse. | |
| This 10-year-old Port Charlotte has been conceived, distilled, matured and bottled on Islay alone. We are a young team with deep-rooted values, and an ambition to make the ultimate “Islay” whisky. | |
| A whisky made by people, not software; a whisky watched over every day of its maturing life by those who made it; a whisky born of a community, of a vision, and a burning desire to kick-stat a single malt whisky revolution. This port charlotte 10-year-old is who we are. This is where we're from. |
Infos
- Degré : 50%
- Note : Très épicé. Bien tourbé. Whisky aux notes un peu de cuir, avec un finish qui tombe fort et raide en laissant les épices sur le palais.
- Octobre 2018
The Classic Laddie - Unpeated
The Heart and Soul of Bruichladdich.
 | Note du distilleur |
|---|---|
| This single malt scotch whisky has been crafted by head distiller Adam Hannett from individually selected casks to showcase the classic, floral and elegant Bruichladdich house style. Unpeated, it is our signature bottling and the definitive Bruichladdich. | |
| Made using 100% scottish-grown barley, trickle distilled, then matured for its entire life by the salt-swept atlantic shores of Loch Indaal in premium american and french oak, it is a testament to the quality of our ingredients. Non chill filtered to retain the essential natural oils and esters from the barley, this is real whisky, untainted and bottled colouring-free at 50% abv. using local Islay spring water. |
Infos
- Degré : 50%
- Note : Chatouillant au nez, en bouche une attaque forte et une longue tenue. Comme indiqué, aucune trace de tourbe. Épices et fruits secs confits. Une pointe de iode en finale. Whisky au caractère prononcé.
- Août 2020
Bunnahabhain
Distillerie sur l'isle d'Islay depuis 1881
Stiùireadair
 | Note du distilleur |
|---|---|
| Son nom se prononce “bouna'hav'n” et signifie, en gaélique, “bouche de la crique”. La distillerie Bunnahabhain a été construite en 1881, tout au nord d'Islay, en bordure de mer. | |
| “A complex malt with a rich sherry influence and aromas of fruit, nuts and spice”. | |
| Il faut s'imaginer l'île d'Islay dans les années 1800, lorsque la tourbe était au coeur du qutoidien de ses habitants, qui l'utilisaient comme combustible, chauffage, et en faisaient tous les jours le commerce. Des cheminées de l'île s'échappaient des effluves de fumée de tourbe qui se mêlaient à l'air marin pour créer un 'smoky mist' - une brume fûmée - que l'on pouvait presque goûter. | |
| Bunnahabhain tranche avec la majorité des malts distillés dans l'île pour élaborer deux types de single malts : des single malts non tourbés au style fruité, épicé et marin, et des single malts tourbés aux accents gaéliques qui font écho aux whiskies d'Islay des origines. | |
| Tous ses single malts sont embouteillés à 46.3° sans filtration à froid pour préserver toute leur corps plein, rond et puissant. Tantôt côté mer, tantôt côté terre avec la tourbe, du whisky Bunnahabhain émanent les parfums de l'île d'Islay des origines. |
Infos
- Degré : 46.3%
- Note : Riche et complexe.
- Janvier 2019
Caol Ila
Distillerie sur l'ile d'Islay depuis 1846, 1km au nord de Port Askaig.
Moch
 | Note du distilleur |
|---|---|
| Soft, smooth, clean and fresh, Caol Ila MOCH (in Gaelic, 'dawn') evokes the dawn of a new day, slowly prising Caol Ila from its slumbers and picking out the shoreline of its little wodded bay. | |
| Each expression of Caol Ila (say 'Cull Ee-la') reflects a special quality of the light at this remote distillery. Together they picture a day in its secret cove on the Sound of Islay, where a distillery has stood for more than a hundred and sixty years. Soft as the light of a new dawn, Caol Ila Moch opens on the palate to reveal all the life and fresh-faced new hope of a spring day, clearly reflecting a character of Caol Ila first seen in 1846. Here are scrubbed-clean aromas on the palate by a sweet, then salty, clarity and simplicity in what is a smooth, fresh expression of the classic “bonfire on the beach” tast of Caol Ila. | |
| Scrubbed-clean aromas and smoke-dry notes of peat followed by a sweet, then salty, clarity and simplicity. |
Infos
- Degré : 43%
- Note : (de mémoire) Excellent whisky - bel arrangement de fumé, tourbé et légèrement iodé.
- Décembre 2016
12 ans
 | Note du distilleur |
|---|---|
| Fresh, sweetly fruity and smooth-bodied, Caol Ila 12 year old is as rounded and clear as the shapes of the still-room, glimpsed by hazy shafts of sunlight glancing through the morning cloud. | |
| Each expression of Caol Ila (say 'Cull Ee-la') reflects a special quality of the light at this remote Islay distillery, where sublime malt whiskies have een made for over a hundred and sixty years. Together they picture a day in its secret cove on the Sound of Islay. | |
| The smoothness and fine balance of Caol Ila 12 year old suggests the rounded shapes of the stills, softly outlined in a cloudy day's first glimpse of the sun. Fresh and fruity, it is a classic expression of the Caol Ila character, first seen in 1846. Here are those spicy sea-air aromas and sweet smoky-dry flavours, elegantly expressed with a clarity and balance that come from perfect maturation. |
Infos
- Degré : 43%
- Note : Bon rapport qualité/prix (environ 35€ / 75cL), se trouve en grande surface facilement. Caractéristique d'Islay. Tourbé au nez, une attaque iodée au départ puis rapidement très épicé, avec un final tourbé et très légèrement fumé qui reste longtemps sur le palais. Très agréable.
- Novembre 2021
Kilchoman
Distillerie sur l'ile d'Islay, Established 2005.
Sanaig
 | Note du distilleur |
|---|---|
| Sanaig, named after a weather-beaten headland north-west of the distillery, is a vatting of both sherry and bourbon casks | |
| The high proportion of sherry cask maturation creates a distinctively rich, fruity character balanced with citrus, caramel and peat smoke. | |
| Rich layers of dark chocolate, honey, festive spices and ripe fruit infuse with Islay peat smoke and classic Kilchoman citrus sweetness |
The Distillery
Kilchoman Distillery sits nestled amongst the traditional buildings of Rockside Farm on the north-west coast of Islay. Famous as Islay's Farm Distillery, the distillery's barley fields stretch west to the shores of Machir Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Kilchoman is unique in many ways, most notably for our 100% Islay range, Scotland's only Single Farm Single Malt.
Established in 2005, Kilchoman is true to Islay's rich farm distilling heritage, using local peat cut in the traditional way, slowly distilling by hand, maturing in traditional dunnage warehouses and bottling on site without colouring or chill-filtration.
Infos
- Degré : 46%
- Note : Tourbé, fidèle à l'esprit d'Islay. Tourbe vaporeuse, avec une pointe de fumée et un soupçon de cendrée. Légèrement poivré et globalement bien relevé.
- Novembre 2019
Laphroaig
Distillerie sur l'ile d'Islay depuis 1815.
Quarter Cask
 | Note du distilleur |
|---|---|
| Smaller, quarter casks were used before because they fitted on a pack horse. They offered up to 30% more contact between the oak and the liquid. | |
| Still maturing whisky from Laphroaig's standard ex-bourbon barrels is transferred to quarter casks and lef to rest in the warehouse near the Atlantic shore. This increased oak contact creates a soft and velvety edge to complement Laphroaig's distinctive peatiness. | |
| The finish is long and alternates between this sweetness and smoke. |
Infos
- Degré : 48%
- Note personnel : Excellent. Le meilleur des Laphroaig. Bon équilibre entre tourbe et fumée. Légèrement iodée et marin. Rocheux et écume.
- Mai 2018
- Claim your own square foot on Islay Island : unique code is VRCNRK go to www.laphroaig.com/plot
10 Years
 | Note du distilleur |
|---|---|
| Laphroaig (La-froyg) single malt Scotch whisky has always kept itself a bit remote, like the islanders of Islay themselves. A touche aloof at first, but make the effort, broach acquaintance, and you'll have a warm and genuine friend for life. | |
| Take it neat like a stalwart, or with a splash of soft water. Roll it around on your tongue. Release the pungent, earthy aroma of blue peat smoke, the sweet nuttiness of the barley, the delicate, heathery perfume of Isaly's streams. | |
| Close your eyes, and imagine the waves lapping Laphroaig, “the beautiful hollow by the broad bay”. |
Infos
- Degré : 40%
- Note : Fumé mais pas très complexe. Fidèle à Islay. Très répandu, se trouve facilement dans les bars & en supermarchés.
- Mars 2020
- Unique plot code : 7c8082
Douglas Laing's Rock Island
Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
Extraordinary character with maritime island qualities Including malts distilled on : Orkney, Arran, Islay, Jura.
 | Note du distilleur |
|---|---|
| Step onto any of Scotland's whisky islands and you'll be struck by the apparent calm offered by island life… Delve a little deeper, though, and your heart will soar with the excitement and character of the distilleries that call these islands home. Rock island encapsulates the very best single malts distilled on these remarkable isles, rich with the flavours of the seas that surround them. | |
| Our non chill-filtered small batch rock island malt whisky is a marriage of some of Scotland's finest, most maritime and characterful aged single malts - including those distilled on the rightly esteemed islands of Islay, Jura, Arran, and Orkney. | |
| Douglas Laing's rock island is of course maritime in style and, like an oyster from deep beneath the ocean waves, it carries hidden delicacies inside… | |
| By marrying and expertly blending aged single malts together, we have created the ultimate maritime malt. Anticipate wave soaked rocks and a salty, oceanic freshness on the nose with sweet malt. Its complex palate carries soft ash with peat, a honey sweetness plus crushed sugar, juicy barley and late pepper. All that is neatly replicated on the long, moreish finish. |
Infos
- Degré : 46.8%
- Note personnelle : Une attaque forte et épicée mếlant iode et tourbe dans un subtil équilibre poivrée. Un peu de fruit confit délicatement caché et un finish combinant le piquant de l'attaque avec une note douce sur le palais.
- Été 2023